We at GLS are committed to clear ethical principles. This is a pillar of our success as a business.

All GLS staff bears responsibility for GLS living up to its principles; quite often, it is the misconduct of just a few that badly reflects on the reputation of a business as a whole. Hence, it is crucial for GLS to get notified of potential misconduct of its staff, its suppliers or third parties as early as possible so that we can quickly act on it and efficiently remedy the situation.

Effective 15.02.2023 the Act of 28.11.2022 on the protection of reporters of breaches of Union or national law established within a legal entity in the private sector came into force Loi - Wet (fgov.be) . This Act obliges GLS to establish an internal reporting channel. Through this internal reporting channel, whistleblowers can inform GLS of potential work-related misconduct. Whistleblowers may use the internal reporting channel to report the following:

The law covers the reporting of infringements relating to

• (1) public procurement,
• (2) financial services, products and markets, prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing,
• (3) product safety and compliance,
• (4) transport safety,
• (5) environmental protection,
• (6) radiation protection and nuclear safety,
• (7) food and feed safety, health and welfare,
• (8) public health,
• (9) consumer protection,
• (10) protection of privacy and personal data and security of network and information systems,
• (11) combating tax fraud, (*)
• (12) combating social fraud, and (*)
• (13) the rules on the functioning of the European internal market (competition and State aid).

(*) Belgium goes further than European directive

Reports which concern the offences detailed above will be treated with the utmost confidentiality to maximize the protection of whistleblowers and those mentioned in the report. In addition, the Act protects whistleblowers against any form of retaliation.

For all other reports please feel free to also contact the internal reporting channel. Such reports are also treated strictly confidentially.

However, please be advised that, as a whistleblower, you will only enjoy the protections guaranteed by the Act if you had at the time of submitting the report sufficient reason to assume that your report was true. You are not protected when submitting a report which you know is untrue.

The internal reporting channel within the meaning of the Whistleblowers Act is Compliance.

Please contact the internal reporting channel via 1) EQS or 2) our ombudsman Dr. Rainer Buchert:

1) EQS Integrity Line:

Compliance (integrityline.com)

2) Dr. Rainer Buchert, Attorney-at-Law

Kaiserstraße 22
D-60311 Frankfurt am Main

Dr. Buchert can be reached as follows: Tel.: +49 69 710 33 330 or +49 6105-921355
Fax: +49 69 710 34 444
E-Mail: kanzlei@dr-buchert.de

Please feel free to use the electronic contact form also: Ombudspersons against corruption and commercial crime | Law Office of Buchert Jacob Partner (ombudsperson-frankfurt.de)

Besides contacting the internal reporting channel, you also have the possibility to contact the relevant authorities directly – see list(*) in article 1 of R.D. 22.01.2023 designating the competent authorities for the implementation of the Law of 28 November 2022 on the protection of reporters of breaches of Union or national law established within a legal entity in the private sector.

(*) 1° the Federal Public Service Economy, K.M.O., Middle Classes and Energy; 2° the Federal Public Service Finances; 3° the Federal Public Service Public Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment; 4° the Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport; 5° the Federal Public Service Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue; 6° the Programming Public Service Social Integration, Poverty Reduction, Social Economy and Metropolitan Policy; 7° the Federal Agency for Nuclear Control; 8° the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products; 9° the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain; 10° the Belgian Competition Authority; 11° the Data Protection Authority; 12° the Financial Services and Markets Authority; 13° the National Bank of Belgium; 14° the College of Supervision of Auditors; 15° the authorities referred to in Article 85 of the Law of 18 September 2017 on the prevention of money laundering and the financing of terrorism and on the restriction of the use of cash; 16° the National Committee for the Security of Drinking Water Supply and Distribution 17° the Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications; 18° the National Institute for Sickness and Disability Insurance; 19° the National Institute for the Social Insurance of the Self-Employed; 20° the National Employment Service; 21° the National Social Security Office; 22° the Social Intelligence and Investigation Service; 23° the Autonomous Anti-Fraud Coordination Service (CAF); 24° the Shipping Inspectorate.

The Act allows you to choose whether you would like to contact the internal reporting channel first or whether you prefer to submit your report directly to the relevant external authority. However, we urge you to always contact us first via the internal reporting channel. GLS will investigate your report with the utmost seriousness and will try to remedy the offence. If you are still dissatisfied with the situation following the completion of our internal follow-up measures you may still contact the external authorities.

Do you have any questions in relation to the above? Please feel free to email us at Compliance@gls-belgium.com .